If these good shows were doing at all well in the ratings, the network execs wouldn't dare to change a thing. Generally when they "screw up a good show" it is a last ditch effort to try to find a viewership when everything else has failed.
I see your point.
But one must wonder if the sampling technology used to determine a shows viewship is hopelessly inadequate sometimes.
If the data says that 5,000 geeks watch it, then perhaps instead of trying to make the show appeal to the general "more people," they should find out why THOSE geeks like it and then tweak the show to make it more palatable to the millions of similar-geeks who aren't watching for some reason.
Soledad O'Brian was a great host, I think that job fit her better than the current news gigs she does these days.
I dunno. Soledad O'Brian seemed so frustrated to me. Some of the jousts with DevNull seemed a little edgy at times. I always thought it was because she wanted to do Real News (tm).
I am a one-person PC repair shop and I used Google Adwords for my business last year. I targeted well, thanks to their help, and had AMAZING returns. In the first three months, I spent ~$70 and made well over $1000.00. I was determined to stick with it.
Then, suddenly, my per-month charges from Google went up. First it was $50, then $100, up to $300.00 per month. All this time, I had set on the same keywords, using the same targeting that I had been using. I pulled back a little and the numbers CONTINUED to climb.
I wrote Google, hoping they would be as helpful as they were when I first set this up. (They hand-held my creating the first ads.) No response. I just bailed.
I've noticed that if you sing the theme song from Revenge of The Nerds, substituting Sith for Nerds, you tend to feel a little less anxious about the quality of the movie.
Just a thought.
"Revenge of the Sith... SITH! Revenge of the Sith... Huhhuhuh Revenge of the Sith... SITH!"
Seriously, what is the matter?
on
Dell Might do AMD
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
As others have pointed out, the issue MUST be a matter of price. There's certainly little-to-no valid technological reason for Dell not to offer AMD anymore. We're not talking slightly incompatible CPUs that need instruction-translators.
Having said that, I still have to let customers know that it's okay to get off the Intel teat when thinking about a new computer. People like that brand recognition. If Dell starts pushing AMD, they'll have to go through some customer-training on what a AMD is and why it's just as good as Intel. That will piss off Intel, no doubt.
Otherwise, what? Just stick it in a catalog? People won't buy it. The fact it's not an Intel will be major turn-off.
Dell's kind of in a Damned-If-You-Do/Don't situation here.
I would love to see Dell push AMDs on the lower-cost systems and stick to Intel for higher-priced systems designed for certain applications. I realize that AMD can fulfill both roles, but this might be a good way to introduce the line to customers. Besides, I'd take a Sempron over a Celery right now.
You bring up some very good points, but I suggest that it's difficult to answer this simple-looking question:
What's a good tech?
Your definition -- that of someone who is specialized and continues to self-educate -- I think fits the bill.
But that's NOT what the market defines as a good tech.
A good tech, according to the market, is one that can repair a PC's particular problem right now. It doesn't matter whatever if the tech is specialized or highly educated or has certifications. If the customer's problem is an incorrect MTU and five other techs didn't figure that out, then YOU are the good tech for having solved it. The other five are, well, unqualified amateurs -- according to the market.
A tech can lose a very old customer because the tech tried and tried and tried but, THIS TIME, couldn't solve the problem.
And, for what it's worth, the market does this everywhere. You buy six Kenmore ranges and the sixth one is bad. Kenmore makes crap.
You shower a mechanic with accolades, until he can't figure out why your car misses when idle. Then it's off to another repair shop and if they repair it, you bring your car there again and again.
I do feel, in general, that good techs are, by-and-large, ones that are exposed to a lot of systems over several years, have seen low and high-level stuff, and have come up through the operating systems. This allows that tech to troubleshoot, not necessarily just Google-And-Solve.
But this is largely lost on the market. To them the computer is a THING and if you know it, you know ALL of it and if you know it you can solve anything. Right?
Smithers: Sir, the actors are here to audition for the part of you. Burns: Excellent. [Anthony Hopkins is wheeled in restrained a la Hannibal Lecter] Anthony Hopkins: Excellent. [hisses] Burns: Next! [William Shatner appears, dressed as Captain Kirk] Shatner: Ex...cel-lent! Burns: Next! Homer: Exactly. Heh, heh...d'oh! Burns: Next! Bumble Bee Man: Exellente! Spielbergo: Es muy bueno. Burns: Oh, it's hopeless. I'll have to play myself.
Though the speeds are pretty dismal (up to 14mbps) they work WONDERFULLY in homes in which wirelss is simply not an option, no one cares to transfer large files between computers, and no one wants to poke holes in walls.
Everyone is right about the security problem, though Netgear, for example, ships a utility that places a password on the connection. I've honestly never tested it in my line of work, but it purports to stop rogue powerline adapters from plugging into open outlets and gaining Internet access.
I, for one, welcome our Sony/Panasonic/Mitsubishi-170Mbps-Powerline-Tech overlords.
I see a lot of comments here regarding whether Raskin was really the cornerstone of the Macintosh. I don't think any of US can really answer that, but it seems to me that Mr. Raskin fits Apple's definition:
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
After a minute of trying, I realized I would have to go down myself and unstick it. I climbed down the hole and looked down to see that it was about 10 feet away, apparently jammed up on a rock.
I dropped to my stomach and began to crawl towards it, pushing as much cardboard ahead of me first to minimize my time in the pain zone. I crawled ahead and made it to the tank, then pulled it free of the rock.
Ummm... I appreciate the geekiness and all, but couldn't you have just looked around at this point!;-)
Don't you think the title is a little trollish? I get it, already. MS is evil. But they're not going to deploy interceptors to stop ships using LAT/LON coordinates while out at sea.
I dunno about that. It just seems weird to me that such a large number can be considered a failure. Some channels would kill for those numbers. KILL! And yet it's enough to cancel a show. It just seems... odd.
Slashdot Mirror
If these good shows were doing at all well in the ratings, the network execs wouldn't dare to change a thing. Generally when they "screw up a good show" it is a last ditch effort to try to find a viewership when everything else has failed.
I see your point.
But one must wonder if the sampling technology used to determine a shows viewship is hopelessly inadequate sometimes.
If the data says that 5,000 geeks watch it, then perhaps instead of trying to make the show appeal to the general "more people," they should find out why THOSE geeks like it and then tweak the show to make it more palatable to the millions of similar-geeks who aren't watching for some reason.
Soledad O'Brian was a great host, I think that job fit her better than the current news gigs she does these days.
I dunno. Soledad O'Brian seemed so frustrated to me. Some of the jousts with DevNull seemed a little edgy at times. I always thought it was because she wanted to do Real News (tm).
I am a one-person PC repair shop and I used Google Adwords for my business last year. I targeted well, thanks to their help, and had AMAZING returns. In the first three months, I spent ~$70 and made well over $1000.00. I was determined to stick with it.
Then, suddenly, my per-month charges from Google went up. First it was $50, then $100, up to $300.00 per month. All this time, I had set on the same keywords, using the same targeting that I had been using. I pulled back a little and the numbers CONTINUED to climb.
I wrote Google, hoping they would be as helpful as they were when I first set this up. (They hand-held my creating the first ads.) No response. I just bailed.
I've noticed that if you sing the theme song from Revenge of The Nerds, substituting Sith for Nerds, you tend to feel a little less anxious about the quality of the movie.
...
Just a thought.
"Revenge of the Sith...
SITH!
Revenge of the Sith...
Huhhuhuh
Revenge of the Sith
SITH!"
As others have pointed out, the issue MUST be a matter of price. There's certainly little-to-no valid technological reason for Dell not to offer AMD anymore. We're not talking slightly incompatible CPUs that need instruction-translators.
Having said that, I still have to let customers know that it's okay to get off the Intel teat when thinking about a new computer. People like that brand recognition. If Dell starts pushing AMD, they'll have to go through some customer-training on what a AMD is and why it's just as good as Intel. That will piss off Intel, no doubt.
Otherwise, what? Just stick it in a catalog? People won't buy it. The fact it's not an Intel will be major turn-off.
Dell's kind of in a Damned-If-You-Do/Don't situation here.
I would love to see Dell push AMDs on the lower-cost systems and stick to Intel for higher-priced systems designed for certain applications. I realize that AMD can fulfill both roles, but this might be a good way to introduce the line to customers. Besides, I'd take a Sempron over a Celery right now.
Good thing he didn't pay with Susan B. Anthony dollars.
The poor bastard may have been sent to Death Row!
In space, no one can hear you sigh.
What?! Yes then can. Watch:
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh *POP*
You bring up some very good points, but I suggest that it's difficult to answer this simple-looking question:
What's a good tech?
Your definition -- that of someone who is specialized and continues to self-educate -- I think fits the bill.
But that's NOT what the market defines as a good tech.
A good tech, according to the market, is one that can repair a PC's particular problem right now. It doesn't matter whatever if the tech is specialized or highly educated or has certifications. If the customer's problem is an incorrect MTU and five other techs didn't figure that out, then YOU are the good tech for having solved it. The other five are, well, unqualified amateurs -- according to the market.
A tech can lose a very old customer because the tech tried and tried and tried but, THIS TIME, couldn't solve the problem.
And, for what it's worth, the market does this everywhere. You buy six Kenmore ranges and the sixth one is bad. Kenmore makes crap.
You shower a mechanic with accolades, until he can't figure out why your car misses when idle. Then it's off to another repair shop and if they repair it, you bring your car there again and again.
I do feel, in general, that good techs are, by-and-large, ones that are exposed to a lot of systems over several years, have seen low and high-level stuff, and have come up through the operating systems. This allows that tech to troubleshoot, not necessarily just Google-And-Solve.
But this is largely lost on the market. To them the computer is a THING and if you know it, you know ALL of it and if you know it you can solve anything. Right?
Smithers: Sir, the actors are here to audition for the part of you.
Burns: Excellent.
[Anthony Hopkins is wheeled in restrained a la Hannibal Lecter]
Anthony Hopkins: Excellent. [hisses]
Burns: Next!
[William Shatner appears, dressed as Captain Kirk]
Shatner: Ex...cel-lent!
Burns: Next!
Homer: Exactly. Heh, heh...d'oh!
Burns: Next!
Bumble Bee Man: Exellente!
Spielbergo: Es muy bueno.
Burns: Oh, it's hopeless. I'll have to play myself.
"Gates do good marketing job in Microsoft."
Hmmmmmmm...
Gates do Jobs.
Jobs do Gates.
Anything wrong with that?
Does the settlement involve any sort of sodomy and/or putting a lotion bottle in a basket?
Wow!
Ipicture 4 of 5, it looks like the aged Steve Jobs is wearing a Science Division Starfleet uniform from Star Trek IV?
Ooh, this is gonna be GREAT!
The auto industry reports that as certain models become more popular, thieves will start to target those models.
A bit error here, A bit error there. Pretty soon you're talking about real crashes.
I forgot about the DC incident. Instead, my thoughts went toward the d00d with the webcam and rifle on the hunting grounds.
There are current Powerline products out there.
Though the speeds are pretty dismal (up to 14mbps) they work WONDERFULLY in homes in which wirelss is simply not an option, no one cares to transfer large files between computers, and no one wants to poke holes in walls.
Everyone is right about the security problem, though Netgear, for example, ships a utility that places a password on the connection. I've honestly never tested it in my line of work, but it purports to stop rogue powerline adapters from plugging into open outlets and gaining Internet access.
I, for one, welcome our Sony/Panasonic/Mitsubishi-170Mbps-Powerline-Tech overlords.
Experts say servers are vulnerable to the infamous CAFE attack. One drop can take down an entire network!
Granted you have to have a computer next to a cup of coffee for this to work, but MANY PEOPLE DO!!!!!!!!!!
When is Ken wilding this week?
Answer: March 15, 10am - 11am, Attendees: Mary, Bob, and Marcelin.
ADVERTISEMENT:
GOTOMYPC can help you attend WILDING, from any web connection.
I see a lot of comments here regarding whether Raskin was really the cornerstone of the Macintosh. I don't think any of US can really answer that, but it seems to me that Mr. Raskin fits Apple's definition:
Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
From TFA:
;-)
After a minute of trying, I realized I would have to go down myself and unstick it. I climbed down the hole and looked down to see that it was about 10 feet away, apparently jammed up on a rock.
I dropped to my stomach and began to crawl towards it, pushing as much cardboard ahead of me first to minimize my time in the pain zone. I crawled ahead and made it to the tank, then pulled it free of the rock.
Ummm... I appreciate the geekiness and all, but couldn't you have just looked around at this point!
I will NOT pay to bring it to some expensive certified dealership to get my fucking car rebooted.
Why, yes! Yes, you will!
Cheers,
Bill
Don't you think the title is a little trollish? I get it, already. MS is evil. But they're not going to deploy interceptors to stop ships using LAT/LON coordinates while out at sea.
Wait... maybe they will...
I dunno about that. It just seems weird to me that such a large number can be considered a failure. Some channels would kill for those numbers. KILL! And yet it's enough to cancel a show. It just seems... odd.
But that's life on pseudo-network tv.
Yet another example of how everyone needs complete access to a sound machine that produces the wah-wah sound on-command from anywhere.
last Friday's episode reached only 2.5 million viewers
I dunno. There's something inherently odd about 2.5 million people watching a single television show being considered a failure.